Words and photos: Dylan Starczak
Nicholas Astanei signed up for a photography class in high school because he “thought it would be a bludge,” but instead, he fell in love with the process. His graphic design practice developed “hand in hand,” as he explored both disciplines through the lens of art theory.
Nick pursued both practices personally and within higher education, refining a multidisciplinary approach that now informs his professional creative direction.
“It was a combination of passions that led me toward doing more creative direction,” Nick explains.
“Having the skill set of three — stills, motion, and design — I have an understanding of how they work together and can use that to help other people.”
Photography has since become the dominant medium for expressing his personal ideas.
His latest exhibition, ‘In Motion It All Stops’, is a series of printed and black and white images, and a short film, that reflect his transient lifestyle.
“The photos in the exhibition revolve around the theme of my life at the moment, which is constantly on the move and on the go. All of the photos are taken in motion, in the sense that throughout my day-to-day life, I’ll see something and *bang*.”
The name of the exhibition was born out of Nick’s recent habit of running.
“I’ve been going on a lot of runs the last few months, so the name was kind of derived from that. I started thinking about the balance of meditating and kind of being in motion, which in the middle ground, I think, is presence — but having the balance is important.”
The images in ‘In Motion It All Stops’ span eight years. One key image is a large photograph of two friends standing in the ocean, gazing out towards the horizon.
“I think stylistically, that clicked with me, and from there, I started shooting in the same style and with the same film.”
While it’s not the oldest image in the exhibition, it was the one that set the visual tone for the project.
“At a certain point, I started thinking, or perceiving, in black and white.”
As he prepared for the show, Nick partnered with Les Walkling in Melbourne to scan his work for printing.
“It began because I wanted to print some of the works quite large, and I needed to re-scan the film to do that. Once I saw the result of what he could achieve, I went back into the archives and looked through all the film I’ve ever taken, searching for more that fit the theme.”
Printing the images large was a deliberate choice.
“There’s something about photography being undermined as a creative art style, and I think without them being big, they don’t make as much of an impact. People can’t recognise how tangible they are because we’re so used to seeing images on the day-to-day.”
He likens it to painting: “If you saw a painting with texture sticking out, that would stick in your mind a whole lot more than a tiny photo on a phone screen.”
Nick first came into contact with Praxis Artspace through assisting Adelaide-based multidisciplinary artist and friend Dave Court with his 2021 show ‘House Party’.
“Praxis have been incredible to work with. Having seen a lot of my friends and other local artists come up doing shows at Praxis, I felt like it was only right,” he says.
Nick credits Dave with inspiring his own exhibition.
“I think without Dave, this wouldn’t have been possible. It’s important to have role models who are a little bit older, a little bit ahead of where you think you might be. Somebody like Dave has no fear, and because of that, he let me help him, even though I was slightly young and a little ego-driven,” Nick explains.
“Watching Dave really made me think, ‘I can do this. I’m not there yet, but when the time comes, I can do this.’”
That belief in possibility is part of why Nick is so passionate about showcasing his work in Adelaide. He’s aware of the structural challenges that local artists face but is determined to contribute to a creative scene that fosters opportunity.
Nick has been living in Melbourne for the past few years. He says, “I’d meet a kid who’s doing fashion design, and they’d be on an Adidas billboard. And it’s not because they were better or any more driven than a kid from Adelaide — it’s because the infrastructure was there to support them.”
With ‘In Motion It All Stops’, Nick Astanei creates space, pushes boundaries, and shows how photography, in its most tangible and immersive form, deserves to be seen and celebrated.
‘In Motion It All Stops’ is showing at Praxis Artspace until March 1
